Warmth (Richonne)
by richhonne
Summary: Just as soon as the dust had settled in Alexandria, winter arrived. Now, the survivors, primarily Rick and Michonne, are trying to adjust to the cold and come to terms with their feelings all at once. Fluff with some slight mature content in the future.
1. Chapter 1

Flames cracked in the fireplace that sat in the Grimes family's cozy Alexandria living room. The winter had hit the survivors like a load of bricks, as it always had. No matter how much they tried to prepare, the aching cold always crept up on them slowly- and then all at once. Michonne, sat on the ground leaning against the bricks to the fireplace, her head down to the ground, nearly drifting off, with a tan quilt wrapped around her. Rick wasn't far away. He lay five feet from her, his elbow propping him up into an almost sitting position as he looked into the fire for what felt like hours.

For a while, neither of the two said a thing. The silence both comforted and terrified the two. They enjoyed each other's company, but they were afraid of what could happen in the moment. They never had to be alone in silence. They always had distractions. Neither of them felt they were ready to admit their feelings to themselves, and now- with the orange glow of the warm fire dancing on their skin, it was hard to run away from those thoughts.

Rick let his mind wonder, and with it went his eyes. It physically hurt to look at the woman before him- his stomach dropped deeper and deeper as he looked up her slender, yet muscular build. Every second his eyes spent on her was another second he spent realizing how badly he needed her. He felt like his guts were being stabbed into, and yet he couldn't look away. He was in too deep, admiring her beauty. He felt a sense of urgency, and nearly felt like panicking. He didn't want to fight it anymore. Though the sinking feeling within him didn't leave, his mind did as he lost himself taking in her every detail. He lost track of time- too. He had no idea how long his gaze had been lost in her- until his eyes met with hers.

"Rick." He was brought back to reality as she whispered his name, low and smooth. He said nothing back. This didn't bother Michonne, because she was terrified of what she'd end up saying if he responded.

A loud, solo, cracking sound was released from the fireplace, startling the two, who were still lost in each other's gaze. They jumped a little, bringing them back into reality. Michonne shivered, being reminded of how cold she had been. Goosebumps dotted nearly all of her body, only sparing her face, and one side of her right arm and leg- which had begun to even feel hot to the touch, after sitting by the fire for so long.

"Here," Rick started, as he began to strip off his jacket. It was a torn old thing- but it was warm enough to keep around. Michonne suspected he felt rather cool in it, which was the _real_ reason he kept it around. He had grown a little sloppy, so she made a point to wash it for him frequently, leaving it almost as soft as her own skin.

"No." she said, her voice husky.

"Take it."

"No." she insisted, more intensity in her voice this time.

"Yes." His voice, even more intense than hers. It drew her back a little bit, but she didn't mind. He pushed himself all the way up to a sitting position with his arm, and half-crawled to her. He slowly tugged her quilt down off her, leaving her shoulder exposed, sending a wave of cold to the skin that had been protected in a little pocket of heat that had built up within the blanket. His eyes never left her- but hers stayed to the ground. He slipped his jacket onto her- admiring how it hugged her-despite being entirely too big. He reached his arm around her to grab the quilt from behind her. As his arm brushed against her, her eyes shot up to him. It was an embraced that only lasted a moment, but she felt herself wishing it had remained there. He placed the quilt back over her shoulders, and her eyes followed his every movement.

His body straightened up as the cold hit him. Michonne was in shock. He never failed to amaze her. She knew all too well how cold their home got- and he had just sacrificed his jacket to her, and placed the blanket back on top of her, allowing himself to freeze. He didn't mind the cold as long as it wasn't hurting her. She fought back tears from welling up in her eyes as the realization hit her.

She remembered when the prison had fallen, and she had found her way back to the man and his son, her best friend. Rick would watch her and Carl split candy and cookies and cans of spray cheese- never once even hinting that he would like some. They wouldn't have minded sharing with him, but he didn't ask. While stale chocolate and old preserved dairy from a can wasn't the finest of foods- she knew how empty his stomach was, and how much it probably hurt, and how weak it made him feel. But as long as they had something in their stomach, Rick was content.

Finishing her thought, Michonne drew herself back to Earth quickly, and grabbed Ricks hand, moving them to her thigh, and covering them with her- much smaller, hands. Heat stung as it hit his icy skin. The cold hurt Michonne, but she didn't mind. Both of their eyes slowly looked up from their embrace, and locked at once. He slipped his right hand out from between her thigh and hands, and slowly brought it to the side of her face, cupping it as he slowly leaned into her. She leaned in as well, for what felt like hours. Finally, just before their lips could meet, they heard a voice.

"Hi Rick! I, uhm, accidentally made too much dinner so I thought I'd drop by and give you so-" said Jessie. A cute but ignorant blonde who had seen nothing of what the world truly is.

Rick cursed under his breathe as he looked up and saw the woman, who had entered his home without warning or permission. Michonne jerked her face towards the direction of the fire. The moment was ruined entirely.

"I'm sorry, am I interrupted something?" asked a purposefully oblivious Jessie. She attempted to be subtle as she batted her eyelashes toward him and lifted up the casserole dish in her arms slightly.

"Get out." He groaned.

"What?" she asked with a soft voice. A voice that most found adorable, but that Michonne found irritating as all hell.

"You heard me. You don't just come walking into someone's home like some-"

"Rick." Michonne cut him off. She knew without looking that the girls eyes were filling up with tears, his intensity coming as a surprise to her. The three sat in silence for a moment until Michonne finally swallowed, and looked over.

"You can set it on the table there. We'll help ourselves to it when we're ready. You should get going." Michonne said softly, but with some seriousness in her tone. Jessie couldn't hold back the tears much longer, so she turned around and showed herself out.

Rick leaned back into her, and returned his hand to her now warm face, attempting to immediately continue where they left off. Michonne turned her head to the side, dodging his kiss.

"'Chonne…" he barley let out. She looked down, intensely at the fire. It left a burning sensation on her eyes, so she shut them hard.

 ** _"What are you doing?"_** she thought. At first she thought she was asking herself what she was doing, almost allowing herself to get caught up in a kiss. Slowly, she realized what she was really asking herself. _**What was she doing avoiding the kiss? Avoiding her own happiness?**_

She looked up to him and smiled sweetly. His eyes widened and then relaxed. She reached her hand up to cup his, which still held her cheek.

Their lips met evenly in a soft kiss, that continued for an entire minute before Rick flicked his tongue into her mouth, bringing heat and intensity into the embrace.


	2. Chapter 2

Michonne woke to the sound of Ricks gentle, but loud breathing. Her eyes squinted as they tried to adjust to the now sun-filled room. She let a smile grow on her face as she appreciated the feeling of Rick's limbs tangled with hers. She took in the whole scene, studying every feature of Rick's sleeping body.

She realized the beauty in seeing the man- who was usually so stressed and on edge, in such a peaceful environment. She found herself wanting to touch every line that marked his face, almost to smooth them out- but she didn't want to risk disturbing his sleep. She shut her eyes and pulled up their white fluffy blanket, allowing herself to drift off once more, knowing everything she needed would still be there next time she woke.

She awakened again to the feeling of the man's lips on her arm. She blinked a few times before her eyes locked with his. He looked like a puppy who had just been caught misbehaving. "Didn't mean to wake ya." He said, tilting his head to the side. "You just looked so soft."

Michonne extended her arm so her fingers could run through his curls. She opened her mouth to speak, but changed her mind. Everything she had to say, Rick already knew. Once again they were on the same page. Rick rolled over to view the time displayed on his clock. Michonne's hand slipped down to his chest as he moved.

"8AM." His voice was tired and husky. "We slept in, darlin'." A shiver traveled up Michonne's body as he spoke.

"Oh yeah?" Her eyes met with his once more, as her fingers traced every detail of his chest.

"Yeah…." He didn't break the lock of their eyes, and instead, looked deeply into hers. "I guess we wore each other out." At that, a soft pink tint hit Michonne's cheeks, and she pulled her arm from Rick, to cover her face with her hand.

"Stop." She whispered. Rick could hear the smile on her face. He reached out and tangled his hands with Michonne's, bringing them down away from her face. This revealed the dorky smile that stretched itself under the woman's nose.

Ricks heart felt hot. He felt like he was melting. It still hurt to look at her, but now he liked it. She was so graceful and flawless in everything that she did, he felt like he was looking directly into the sun.

"We should get going." She spoke. "Maggie and the others have been expecting us for over an hour."

"No." He protested, and pulled his body to hers. "You're so warm." The man gently used his hands to push Michonne's body over, so that she was laying on her back. He brought his body partially on top of hers, as he buried his face into her neck, placing a few soft kisses to it.

"No, no." She giggled, not even listening to her own protests, and allowing him to continue.

"Please?" he said, his lips still deep in her skin, moving down to her collarbone.

"What if someone comes to check on us?" This time, Rick disconnected from her, pushing his body up to meet her gaze. He thought for a moment, before speaking.

"Then I'll put a sock on the doorknob." Michonne couldn't stop herself from bursting into laughter. Rick smirked, finding the sound irresistible.

"C'mon, 'Chonne."

"..Rick.." Before she could finish, she let her eyes explore his face, and noticed his bottom lip sticking out. He was pouting.

"You really are a puppy." She said to herself, a smile still projecting through her voice.

"What?"

"Nothing." She paused, and then reached out to wrap her hand around the back of his head, pulling it closer to meet his lips with her own. Despite all his rough edges, he still managed to be so soft with her. She let the kiss linger for another, long, moment. Finally, she separated their lips and brought hers to his forehead. After bringing a soft but passionate peck to it, she whispered into his skin. _"Fine."_

Rick needed no further hints. His mouth returned to her neck, as he began to suck gently.

"Rick…" she said, her words fogged by giggles. "Stop…people are gonna notice if you-"

"Let them. Let em' all know you're mine." His voice was low and serious, and yet his tone still portrayed love. "It'll keep people off you."

Michonne laughed. "Off me? Maybe I should be the one leaving marks on you. If it'll fend off the little blonde bit-" He cut her off.

"I think you could tattoo 'Michonne's' on my forehead and she wouldn't get the picture." It was a joke, but Michonne's face turned serious as he spoke.

"'Michonne's'?"

"If you'll let me."

 _"Fine."_ She repeated, fighting a bigger smile from her face.

"Fine." Once again, this was all the assurance Rick needed. He let his lips travel down her body, savoring every inch.

Roughly an hour later, the two lay sweaty and satisfied wrapped up in each other. They fought to catch their breath as they heard a knock on their door.

"…Shit…." Rick letout.

"Dad?" Carl let out from the other side, as he reached for the knob.

"Just a minute, son. I'll be out soon.." Michonne rolled over and off the bed in a swift motion, taking the blanket off with her, reveling Rick's naked form. She knew it was best to not distract herself by looking, so she made her way straight to his closet to hide. As she did this, Rick began tearing up his dresser, looking for something to throw on.

"Someone's here to see you. Its Jessie, our neighbor-"

"Got it. Tell her we'll be down in a minute."

Carl mouthed the words _"We'll?"_ in confusion to himself. "Got it." He breathed, before turning around and heading downstairs.

* * *

"Perfect, thank you!" Said Jessie, after Carl repeated his father's words to her.

"Do you wanna come in? I'm sure my Dad and Michonne wont mind.."

Jessie's eyes shot open. "M-Michonne? Is she still here?" Remembering the events that had taken place the night before.

"Of course. This is her home." Carl stepped aside to let the lady in. He rolled his eyes as he passed her, thinking about how impractical her sundress and sandals were in this world. Just as they made it to the living room, the couple made it downstairs, dark spots dotting what was revealed of Michonne's neck and collar, and an apple in her hand.

"Mornin'." He said, in an attempt at being friendly. Michonne, however, kept a straight face as Jessie smiled up at the two.

"Hi, Rick! I…"

"This is Michonne, by the way." Rick interuppted

"I-I know…"

"Just makin' sure, considering you never seem to address her. Thought maybe you'd lost her name." He tilted his head to the right, as he spoke.

"N-no, I.…Hi Michonne."

"Yeah." Michonne responded, and took a deep bite of her apple.

Carl's eye focused in on Rick taking Michonne's hand. He was confused for a moment, but quickly figured it all out and let on a small smirk.

"Morning Michonne. How come you didn't say hi to me when I came to my dad's door?"


	3. Chapter 3

Before I begin, I just want to thank Vegaslover for the nickname Jessie is given in this chapter.

Also, I've been very sick all week, and reading everyones kind reviews has really raised my spirits. Thank you!

And now, enjoy...

* * *

Michonne's eyes shot open. She wasn't sure what the appropriate response was. She decided to go the playful route, and stuck her tongue out at the boy, causing a deep laugh to exit from Carl. A single eyebrow raised upon Michonne's forehead as she listened to the boy's chuckle. He was getting so big. The entire exchange left a grin on Rick's face. He squeezed his lady's hand, assuring her she handled the awkward situation properly.

Just as the scene was winding down, Jessie turned and headed for the door without another word. "Did you have something you needed to say?" Rick asked, stopping her in her tracks.

"What?" she turned around, eyes intentionally big, attempting at the puppydog face that Rick himself had mastered.

"You didn't just show up here for no reason, did j'ya?"

"Oh, uhm…I just wanted to tell you Deanna's ready for you…a-and to wish you good luck on your first day. We're really lucky to have you here to watch ove-"

"And Michonne too, right?"

"O-of course." She fumbled over her own words as she felt her face get hot. Pretending the woman on the staircase with Rick didn't exist was proving harder than she'd anticipated. She let out a frustrated sigh before waving goodbye with a defeated smile on her face.

"Bye Mrs. Anderson!" Carl let out

"Later, Messie." Michonne mumbled. Carl chuckled silently.

* * *

Michonne and Rick caught up with Deanna, who briefed them on their duties as Alexandria's police officers, and gave them their uniforms. The two decided to head home to get ready, so they could check up Carl and Judith before heading out for the day.

Michonne showered, and then Rick. As he stepped out of their bathroom, he walked in on her buttoning the last of her collared shirt. He stood in the doorway as she slid on her jacket and examined the fit. It was a little baggy in places, yet still managed to hug her body where she wanted it to. She shivered. This was going to take some getting used to. Wearing a uniform and having a real job wasn't exactly something that came often in this world. As she looked over her reflection, she caught a glimpse of the man looking in on her. "How long you been standin' there?"

"A little while." he said, taking this as his opportunity to approach her. In a matter of seconds, he was in front of her, sliding his hands into her back pockets, pulling her closer to him. They mutually brought each other into a kiss, long, slow, and passionate. "This is gonna be good." He said, not talking about the job. At this, a smile blossomed on her face.

"I bet this feels so normal to you."

"Doesn't it feel normal to you?" he pouted his lips as he spoke. Michonne let out a low, but soft giggle that Rick found absolutely irresistible. She poked his stomach gently.

"I meant the job. The uniform. The whole deal." Laughter echoed every word quietly.

"That too." He smirked. Michonne took the opportunity to take him in entirely. The way his uniform fit, the way he stood pressed against her, his smile, his blue eyes that looked as welcoming as the sky, but that had also seen just as much terror as the sky above them had. She breathed in deeply.

"But this…" Her arms motioned out at her sides. "This feels more natural than anything else I've ever known." With that, he slid his right hand out of her pocket, and brought it to the back of her head. He tangled his fingers with her dreads as he brought her into one final kiss.

"You ready to go, constable?" Michonne asked, finally separating from him.

"After you, officer."

* * *

The two had a very slow first day, a good reflection of what most days would be like here. There wasn't much crime in Alexandria. Everyone had more important things to do. So they walked around, patrolling, chatting, and keeping an eye on things.

"So this place… its home?" Michonne asked, already starting to appreciate the conversation time they would be getting together every day.

"For now." He nodded. "These people. They can't protect themselves. If something happens…"

"We wont let that happen."

"We try not to. We try. But we, you, me, Carl, Judith and the others. We're our number one priority. If this place goes downhill, we're not going down with them." He finished. Michonne eyes narrowed, but she nodded in agreement.

Time passed and the two chatted and patrolled. Their conversations lightened up, and they even found themselves laughing. They both favored the other's laugh over all other sounds. Their conversations ended at once as they heard a high shriek coming from one of the houses. Without hesitation, they ran to the direction the sound came from.

They arrived at an open garage. Their first sight was Jessie, staring down at the ground in horror, her hand covering her open mouth. Rick and Michonne rushed closer, both reaching for their gone.

"What's going on?" He demanded, his head tilted and his voice low.

"S-someone…."

"Spit it out." He grew impatient. He eyes beginning to water and his heart racing.

"Someone got in and…" She was horrified. She could barley breathe as she spoke. Finally, Michonne used her shoulder to push past the woman to see what had happened. Her eyes focused in on a mess of scattered metal parts cascading over in a pile on the ground.

"What is all this?" She asked, already pissed that it didn't seem to be as serious as she made it seem.

"M-my kids and I were building this sculpture…I-its an owl...It symbolizes…"

"Get to the point." Rick spat.

"Someone destroyed it…look at this mess.." She cried. Michonne rolled her eyes and sighed, lifting her shoulders as she turned around.

"Lets go."

"Wait! Aren't you going to do something? Isn't that your _**job**_?" Jessie begged.

"Our job is to keep this place safe. Not to fix your macaroni art." She felt guilty being so rude to the woman, but after everything she had seen, everything she had been through…everyone she had lost… to see the look on Jessie's face, proving that was the worst the apocalypse had brought her and her family in a long time, pissed Michonne off to her core.

"I- I…"

"We'll look into it. No promises, though." Rick said, only feeling pitty towards the lack of strength the woman had built up.

"Th-thank you." Jessie sniffled, and let a sweet smile towards Rick. He nodded and turned away.

* * *

Michonne moaned as she flopped down on Rick's bed. "Good to be home."

"It is." Rick said, shutting the door behind him.

"Yanno, I actually could get used to days like this." She said, looking up at the man, who was now unbuttoning his shirt.

"Me too…just don't get to comfortable. You never know when things could-" He was cut off by Michonne giggling. _"What?"_

"You never just let yourself _ **live**_. You never let yourself fully appreciate what's good." She bit her lip. Rick looked back down after, his shirt now completely discarded onto a pile on the floor.

"Now that's just not true." His voice low and smooth. He headed towards the bed, and that kneeled on the edge. "I appreciate Judith. I appreciate Carl…" He crawled over her body, his mouth now directly above her neck. He brought his lips just above her skin before making eye contact with her. "I appreciate you."

She whispered back to him, pure love in her tone. _"I appreciate you too."_ It was almost silent, but he was close enough to hear. He brought a deep, wet kiss to her neck.

"Now, lets get you out of that uniform, _constable._ "


	4. Chapter 4

Authors note: Hey guys. When I started this, I only had the first chapters concept down, and I hadn't really considered where I'd take the fic, beyond that point. I wasn't sure whether or not I'd even add another chapter. Today, I started a virtual sticky note for future chapter scenes, and the list of ideas goes on and on and on. I'm planning on writing many more chapters. I just completely fell in love with this as I have been writing it. I can't help it.

Anyway, in this chapter, I wrote a bunch of other characters for the first time. I wrote them based on my interpretations of the characters, but I don't pay as much attention to some of them as I do for Rick and Michonne, so i'm not sure how on point they are. But I'm happy with them, so they should be fine.

The plot is well on its way to thickening. But I'm making sure to add plenty of cute Richonne for you. (Honestly though, those scenes are my favorite to write anyway. Richonne is forever gonna be the main focus of this fic.)

* * *

Rick partially woke up the next morning, immediately disappointed that he couldn't feel Michonne's warm body overlapping his, as he had begun to get used to. He figured they had just adjusted away from each other in their sleep. His eyes were still shut as he stretched his limbs in attempt to find his lady's. When his foot reached the far end of his king-size bed without coming in contact with her, his heart began to race, and his eyes shot open. He forced himself into a sitting position as he urgently looked his room over. She was nowhere to be seen. He relaxed slightly, only when he noticed her uniform was no longer spread out over the floor that surrounded their bed. He sighed, but was still anxious.

Not wasting any time, the man threw on a t-shirt and a pair of jeans, and headed downstairs at once, looking to find Michonne. He was startled at the sight of his entire group seated in his living room. Everyone that had been with him when he arrived to Alexandria, looked up at the man.

"What's goin' on?" As he continued down the stairs, he heard some childish giggling, and noticed Rosita and Tara cover their mouth with their hands in shock. "What?" He finally let out.

Silence. After a moment, the very groggy Rick remembered they all gathered there to discuss Alexandria, to make sure everyone agreed it was safe. He still wasn't sure what caused the staring and giggling. Little did he know, his neck was decorated with large, purple and blue ovals. They were a gift from Michonne, and everyone could see them.

"I hope the other guy looks worse." Carl said, in a confident joking manner. Tara gasped and a chuckle was heard from a few people in the group. "What?" His head leaning back, confused. "Cleary he got in a fight…don't tell me you guys don't see those bruises."

At this, Abraham, who was next to the boy, sat up straight. He let out a chuckle and slapped Carl hard in the back. Carl groaned. "That boy, is no bruise. That's a hickey. A straight-up love bite. Happens when-"

"Abraham!" Rosita interrupted.

"What? Kids old enough. He didn't have middle school gym class to teach him about the good ol'-"

"Abraham!" She repeated.

"Fine." He groaned.

"I think its cute." Beth smiled, Judith playing with the girl's clothes as she sat on her lap. "You only get so much love in this world. Whoever it was…I think its sweet."

"So who _is_ the 'other guy' then? I bet it was that fine piece little blonde. Jamie? Jessie?"

"Messie." Michonne mumbled, too quietly for anyone to hear. Her eyes were focused on her man on the stairs, who just locked in with her gaze.

At this point, Carl realized they were talking about something sexual. He didn't know much, but he got the general idea. " ? Ewwww…" He let out.

"Yeah. Ew is right." Rick nodded. He kept a playful tone at this to keep Carl in a good mood, but his face was serious, using just looks to communicate with Michonne from across the room.

"So if it ain't her doin that, then who?" The ginger said, all too interested in the conversation, to his girlfriend's disgust-but also at her amusement. Afterall, Rosita herself was curious too. Daryl, Maggie, and Glenn wouldn't make eye contact with any of the people talking-or those being talked about. They were very uncomfortable with Rick's personal life being joked about in such a manor.

"Well, all things considered…" Eugene spoke up. "I'd reckon its probably that little lady over there." His head turned to Michonne, and everyone else's followed. He continued to speak on why it had to be her because of their living situation, and made a few uncomfortable comments about sexual tension between the two. All eyes were glued to the woman as Eugene spoke about her. Michonne and Rick heard nothing past the first sentence, as they were trying to communicate with only their glances.

She shot him a look, translating to 'What do we say? Are we going to be honest?' He contemplated for a moment, before releasing the smallest of grins. His mouth curved just slightly on one side, so subtle, only Michonne could ever notice it. She nodded her head subtly in return, and he repeated the gesture. She knew what he had decided, and as always, she would be with him.

Rick finished down the stairs, pep in his step. He was eager for his loved ones to finally know the truth, beyond Carl who had already mostly figured it out the day before.

"Michonne and I…" He started, not sure how he was going to finish the sentence. "We…" He sighed, approaching her further. Her big brown eyes stared up at him, full of love, and content with the situation. "Hm." Finding words for what she was to him, for what they were, and what they were going to be was hard. How did he sum up the emotions that he had built up with her, _for her_ over several years, in just one sentence?

"Michonne is like my new stepmom. Right?" Carl interrupted. His tone was confused, yet content and positive.

Rick smiled at the boy. "Yeah...somethin' like that." His smile returned to Michonne, whose eyes were still glued to him.

"…Finally." Maggie blurted, her accent complimenting the excitement in her tone.

The new couple turned their attention towards her, confusion on their face.

"I know y'all are probably new to this whole thing, since this is the first we've seen of well…/that./" She motioned to his hickeys. "But _I've_ been anticipatin' it for a while now…and I cant have been the only one." She finished, smiling sweetly, yet feeling a little bit odd to have been the first person to speak up.

"You weren't." Carol responded, sweetness and humor in her tone.

Beth proceeded to hand Judith to Maggie, and gracefully stand up and prance over to Rick and Michonne. She kneeled down and threw her arms around the sitting Michonne, her arms resting on the woman's shoulders. pulling her into a tight hug. Michonne gently, but lovingly returned the favor. The blonde finally released and stood up, only to do wrap her arms around Ricks stomach. He smiled down at her, comforted with the approving response.

"Congrats bro." Glenn said, approvingly. Daryl just nodded to Rick, letting him know he was okay with his new relationship

"Well shit." Abraham let out. "Despite how much we all saw this coming, I really didn't see this comin'."

"Agreed" Tara let out, smiling to Michonne.

"Cool." Carl nodded after a moment.

"Yes." Michonne finally spoke. "Very cool."

After hearing her voice for the first time this morning, and the emotional situation that had just occurred, Rick, who wasn't very big on PDA, couldn't resist placing a celebratory kiss to her lips. This inspired various 'awhs' and an annoying whistle from Abraham.

"I'd just like to put all your minds at rest. I will tell you that despite a few slight concerns, I do support you two in your new relationship." He nodded toward Rick, who had nothing to do but nod back with a smirk.

After moving on from the subject, the group discussed their feelings towards Alexandria. They came to the conclusion that it had a lot of potential, but that the people- and the walls were weak. This place could work, only if they put in effort to build its strength. After everything- this was going to be well worth it.

* * *

"Hey." Glenn greeted, approaching Rick after everyone else had left the home. Rick simply nodded back in return. "That was a mess….." He blurted out.

"It was." He agreed. He was eager for his friend to get to the point. He knew Glenn well enough to know when his mind was on something else.

"So, what is it really? You and Michonne…Is it sex, or is it real?"

Rick chuckled a little bit. "Its _real_."

Glenn smiled. "You seem happy. You both do. I'd say its about time you found someone…after…"

"Lori." Rick nodded, as he looked down. It had been a while since he thought of her.

"Yeah…" he let out awkwardly.

"Go ahead." He could tell Glenn was biting his tongue, holding back form saying something he wanted to say.

"I just. I dunno', man. If something happened to Maggie… I just…I don't think I could ever move on. I don't think I could ever love someone else."

Rick nodded his head and thought for a moment. "I understand that...But Lori, _**L**_ _ **ori wasn't my Maggie**_. Michonne…Michonne is."

At that, Glenn's eyes widened. It made much more sense to him than he thought it was going to. "Don't get me wrong… I loved her. I did. And she gave me Carl. We just stopped…connectin'." He paused, realizing he finally found the words to describe it not only to his friend, but to himself as well. "I get the feelin' we were together longer than we would have been _before_."

"But Michonne, you love her right?"

* * *

Michonne stepped out of the shower, biting her lip as she stepped in front of the mirror. She studied the reflection of her body. Her eyes traced every curve and the skin that wrapped around it. She smiled to herself slightly- and before she knew it, a tooth-revealing grin was fully spread across her face. Her body wasn't much different than it had been at the prison. Cleaner, but pretty much the same. And yet, it felt so different. It was the body that had been touched by Rick. It was the body that got to hold Carl and Judith. It was the body that got to l _augh_. Her body looked the same, but it was so much happier now.

She cupped her mouth with her hands, hiding her dorky smile. The woman then proceeded to lean over to brush her teeth. Just as she spat and looked up, an unsuspecting Rick Grimes opened the bathroom door. He took a double take as he looked over her freshly cleaned body, and its unforgettable glow. "Hey." was all he could get out.

"Hey." She said back smoothly, reaching for her robe, then tightening it around her form. He tilted his head to the side as he approached her. She couldn't help but let out a quiet shy giggled as he neared her.

In a swift motion, his arms were around her waist, and his lips were only centimeters from hers. She lifted her arms to wrap her fingers in the curls that were fortunate enough to live on the back of his head. The feeling left the man's bottom lip shaking. "'Chonne-" And then her lips were brought to his. Her first priority was wrapping her lips around his lower one, in attempt to settle its shaking. He smoothly brought her body closer to him, tightening his arms around her back, and sliding his tongue into her mouth, colliding it with hers. Each of his actions bringing a new level of intensity to their kiss.

After a moment, Michonne broke the kiss, allowing herself to look at her lover up close. He repeated the action, looking into her eyes, and all over her face all at once. He smiled, she followed. He released one arm to use his fingers to move a dread out of her face, so that he could get a better view. He only lasted another moment, before sliding his hands around the dreads that framed the side of her face, and using it to pull her into another kiss, this time, slower, but just as passionate. Once the embrace of their lips naturally ended, he wasted no time in dropping his lips down to her jaw, for a few quick kisses there. Then he began to slightly kneel as he lowered himself to bring more soft kisses to her neck, and then the collarbone.

She giggled once more, as his lips wet her collarbone. This only encouraged him to give more passion. He slowly moved down to the top of her chest that was revealed by her robe. Shortly after, he felt goose bumps start to form on her still-damp skin. "Cold?" His lips brushed her skin as he spoke.

" _Just a little_." She whispered back, barley being able to catch her breath at all in the moment.

"Will you let me warm you up?" he asked narrowing his eyes, but looking up at her long enough to see her frantically nod. Without hesitation, he took her legs into one of his arms, and her head into his opposite hand, holding her bridal style.

The whole thing took Michonne by surprise, but she didn't hide how much she loved it. It made her feel special. She realized he adored her body just as much as she did when she had looked in the mirror only moments before. He plopped her down on the bed, and immediately unfastened the rope that held her robe shut. He brought a swift kiss to her lips, before bringing the attention to her chest. He led a straight trail from between her collarbones all the way down to her belly button. Before he continued down the bath her body had designed for him, he paused.

"What?" She asked. Instead of responding, he just adjusted his body so that he could remove his socks and shoes. He got off the bed, one sock still in his hand as he headed for the exit. "What are you doing?"

He lifted his sock up for her to see. " _For the doorknob_."


	5. Chapter 5

**Authors note:** I'm making you sit through Jessie drama this chapter, so I made sure to sandwich it between lots and lots of Richonne for you.

I really hope you guys like this one! Your reviews are making my day.

* * *

Once the two had finished, Rick rolled over next to her on his back, both of them sweating and satisfied. He looked over toward Michonne, and watched as her torso stretched up and collapsed as her lungs filled and deflated with her heavy breaths. Her eyes were shut, relaxing along with the rest of her body, after what she'd just experienced. Total bliss.

He watched as beads of sweat danced down her head and body. He too was tired, and still just catching his breath. And yet the sight of her was so pleasant, he couldn't resist taking her arm into his hands, and bringing it toward his lips so that he could lay multiple kisses on her damp skin. She smiled, but kept her eyes closed. At that, he had no choice but to work up the energy to roll over onto his stomach, giving him better access to her, and he once again kissed her, all over her neck and chest. She opened her eyes and looked down at him, feeling nothing but love and joy. In this moment, nothing was wrong.

He moved down to her stomach, spending a lot of time placing kisses too it. It felt, to both of them, like he was kissing away the last of the fear and anxiety that had once taken over her stomach. She knew it would never feel the same, after he blessed it with his lips. He made sure not to miss a single scar on her tummy, making sure she knew he loved _all_ of her.

It was getting very late, and all of their loved ones were sleeping peacefully. In the moment, the whole world seemed to have stopped, and nothing existed or moved outside their walls. Rick ran his finger tips over Michonne's belly as his lips hugged her skin. She had never liked the feeling of being tickled, until now.

"Rick." She whispered to him. His face was still clearly visible in the dark room, so she watched him take his eyes from her stomach and back up to her face. It was silent for a moment. Once again she felt breathless. Nothing mattered to her but this moment, and it felt like her whole life had strategically lead up to this.

She could barley speak, so with a scratchy, but somehow pleasant voice, she whispered to him. "I love you."

His eyes widened, not expecting what was just said to him. He knew he loved Michonne, and he knew she loved him back, yet he never thought about her saying it to him. If anything, he thought he'd say it first, if ever, and he wasn't sure if she'd say it back. She didn't need to. Everything they said or did was an indirect screaming declaration of their love for each other. He knew and she knew. It wasn't necessary. It wasn't. But he _loved_ it. Suddenly he realized, Michonne's laugh was no longer his favorite sound. His favorite was hearing her say the words she had only just spoken to him for the first time. He pushed his body up so that he was leaning above her.

His lips inches from hers, and their eyes met in a gaze, he spoke back. "And I love you." Michonne's heart felt warm hearing this. Her stomach knotted just slightly. How did he do this to her? No one ever had before. He buried his face into her neck, pressing deep kisses in it. "I love you." He repeated into her skin. Michonne played with his hair between her fingertips. "I love you too." She whispered.

They fell asleep there, his head rested on her shoulder, her hand in his hair. At some point they had pulled the blanket up, keeping them warm for the remaining hours of the night.

* * *

Michonne stepped up the porch to the Anderson home, and knocked hard three times. A teenage boy, Ron, answered the door. "What?" he asked bluntly, looking her up and down slightly.

"I'm here to see your mom." The woman let out smoothly, looking directly into the boy's eyes, intimidating him slightly.

Without another word, Ron turned his head back and shouted "Mom! Police are here!" And then turned around and shut the door, leaving Michonne alone to wait for Jessie herself. Rick had wanted to go, fearing Jessie would only _anger_ Michonne, but she wouldn't accept that. She wanted to keep the nosey blonde as far away from her boyfriend as possible.

"Hi Ri-" Jessie let out before the door was even entirely open. "Oh. _Hi Michelle_." Not knowing Michonne's name was only an act, of course. Jessie never forgot something after she heard Rick Grimes say it.

"Michonne." She interrupted coldly.

"R-right, sorry." She lied.

"Wheres-"

"Busy. He's got more important things to do."

"Sure, sure." Her voice would be considered sweet to anyone who didn't know her, but Michonne could hear the spite in her tone.

"You gonna let me in or…?"

Jessie grimaced. "Right." She opened her door wider and stepped aside, allowing Michonne to step in. They proceeded to the kitchen where they would speak about the broken owl sculpture.

"What makes you think this wasn't just one of your kids?"

"They would never…"

"Didn't say it was on purpose. Accidents happen."

"They would be honest with me…"

"Nine year olds, and angst-y teens aren't known for being the most reliable."

"Whatever." She shook her head. "It wasn't them."

"And your _husband_?" She asked, zeroing in on Mrs. Anderson's eyes, letting her know she's fully aware of her marital status, despite her obvious attempted-flirtation with Rick.

"He- he…" Jessie began to ramble on, with pointless excuses on why it couldn't have been him. Instead of listening, Michonne looked around their room. It was nice at first glance, but she started to _notice_ things.

A fist-shaped hole marked their yellow kitchen walls by the stove. Beer cans toppled over each other in their blue recycling bin. Their oven had a large dent in the door, and some of the titles on the kitchen floor had broken corners.

"Mrs. Anderson…"

"He would never do anything to upset me…" She said, frantically waving her hands around as she spoke, tearing up a bit. Her sleeve moved down her arm with her movements, revealing bruises cuffing her wrists.

"Mrs. Anderson."

"Huh?" Jessie let out, snapping back into reality.

"Is everything okay here?"

"W-what do you mean? Everything's perfect. E-except my-"

"You're owl sculpture, I know. Where'd you get those bruises?"

"Wh-" She looked down at her wrists, and eagerly pulled her sleeves up. "I-I fell... That's all…"

Michonne tilted her head to the right. "You fell and got fist shaped bruises around your arm?"

"Y-yeah…" She looked down at her lap, terrified and emotional. At this moment, Pete slammed through the front door, and began approaching the kitchen. "Michonne- you should go."

She was surprised the woman had called her by her name. "Jessie?"

"Go! Just go!" She urged. _"Please."_

"What the hell is the police doing here?" The man said entering the room.

"She's just-"

"Just what? Explain what the hell is going on, right now!"

"Pete I.."

"Mr. Anderson." Michonne said bluntly with volume. At this, the man's eyes overlooked Michonne's slim body, and lingered a little too long.

With a smirk, he stuck his hand out to her for her to shake. "Nice to meet you, I'm Pete."

"I'm sure you're aware of the broken sculpture in the garage?" She said, ignoring the gesture.

"Why- why would I be?" He retracted his rejected arm.

"She didn't tell you?"

"Of course she did… I don't know anything."

 _"Right."_ Michonne turned her head, discretely rolling her eyes.

"Jessie, did you invite her for dinner?"

"N-no…Michonne would you like-"

"I'm good." She interrupted, pulling out of her chair and standing up. "I've got everything I need. Thank you Jessie. I'll follow up and let you know."

She nodded and headed out the door. She was frustrated and upset as she walked through Alexandria. She didn't like Jessie, at all. Yet, she really felt bad for her. It was clear now that she was being abused. It made sense that she would cling to Rick. In comparison he must have seemed like Jesus Christ himself coming to save her. She still pissed Michonne off, but domestic abuse pissed her off more. By this point, she was almost home. She felt like she might have a panic attack, so she wanted to calm down and take a break.

She jumped as she walked right into someone. "Sorry." She urged before her eyes jumped up to reveal Rick, who was instantly concerned.

"Michonne…whats goin' on? Hey.."

"Rick." She breathed, teary eyed.

"What is it, whats happening?"

"Can we go inside?"

"Of course." He put his hand on her shoulder, trying to show her that it would be okay, that whatever it was they'd figure it out.

* * *

Michonne explained the entire abuse situation to Rick. It bothered him every bit as much as it bothered her. They decided they'd talk to Deanna the next day, and do anything and everything in their power to stop what was happening.

"In the mean time…." Rick started. "Lets appreciate how good we have it tonight." Michonne nodded, and they waited for Carl to return.

* * *

Michonne and rick sat next to each other, across from Carl and Judith, who sat happily in a highchair. Rick had made dinner, while Michonne tended to Judith and waited for Carl to return from seeing the other kids in Alexandria. A warm fire burned in the fireplace in the next room over, heating the entire home. They laughed and talked, and ate in peace.

"What're the other kids like, Corl?" Rick asked, curious of what he'd been up to every day.

"We aren't kids, dad."

"What are you?"

"I don't know…uh…"

"Young adults." Michonne declared with a smile on her face.

"Yeah, that!" Carl laughed. "They're pretty cool. There's Jay, who is really funny. Ron- whose a little…harsh…He's Mrs. Anderson's kid actually."

Michonne coughed. "Yeah. I've met him. He certainly is that." This inspired a laugh from Carl, which inspired a smile from Michonne. Rick watched the two exchange, as Judith played with the food on her tray. Never could he ever love anyone more than he loved these three. "Anyone else?"

"Well, yeah…There's this girl…Enid." Michonne's eyebrows raised as a smile grew on her face.

"A girl? Tell me everything when this guy leaves, okay?" She pointed to Rick with her thumb. They all laughed, including Judith, who had no idea what she was laughing about.

"Got it." Carl nodded, laughter still echoing through his voice. "Hey, can you pass the salt?".

"I don't have it." Rick replied, smiling at his boy.

"Not you, I was talking to Mom-" Everyone stopped what they were doing, and the adults looked to the 'young adult' before them. "-chonne. Momchonne." He fake-coughed. "Michonne."

She just stared at the boy in disbelief. Judith noticed sudden tension in the room, and began crying. Rick pulled out of his seat, but Michonne stopped him. "I got it." She pledged, not wanting to be left alone in an awkward situation. She walked around the table and picked up a messy Judith, and rocked her in her arms, beginning to step out of the room. "Sshh. Its okay Judy. Everything's okay."

The baby's blue eyes looked up at her as the cries came to a stop. "M-m-" At first it just sounded like baby noise, but Michonne realized she was trying to communicate something.

 _'No way she already knows my name'_ she thought. But on the off chance the baby was about to speak, she rushed back into the dining room, to share the moment with her family.

She clearly walked in on an important conversation, as they both stopped speaking at once when they saw her. She was too caught up in Judith to notice, though. "Listen." She whispered.

 _"M-M-Mama."_ let out the baby, who was reaching up for Michonne's dreads, playing with them in her tiny hands. Immediately a tear streamed down the woman's face. She lifted Judith up, and pressed her tiny forehead against her own, holding her close.

Rick shot up, to join the embrace. Carl watched, a small smile forming on his lips.

* * *

Rich and Michonne lay in their bed in loose pajamas. Her head rested on his chest, as he ran his fingers through her hair. They whispered about everything and nothing for around an hour and a half before hearing a knock on their door. They knew by the sound of it, that it was Carl.

"Come in, son." Rick approved. The boy came in and awkwardly stood by the foot of their bed.

"We're not gonna bite, you know." Michonne teased. "Come here, kid." She smiled at him warmly. So he did. He sad criss-cross on the end of the bed, his eyes on Michonne and his father.

"What's goin' on?" his father asked.

"I thought it was really cute when Judith called you Mom." The son admitted.

"Me too." Michonne replied softly, with a laugh in her throat. The three sat in silence with subtle smiles on their faces for a moment.

"I just…" he started. _"I wanna do that too."_ He had built up so much anxiety over admitting that, but he felt so much better after blurting it out.

"You don't have to…"

"I- I know, Michonne. But I _want_ to." He nodded to her, similar to how Rick does. "You have been here for me and my dad since you became one of us….and just because _you're my mom_ , doesn't mean my mom _wasn't_..." he paused "does that make sense?" After he finished, Michonne sat up and nodded.

"It _does_. Come here." And once again, he did. She wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "You can call me whatever you like. Michonne, Mom…just not Michelle." Carl snorted, but quickly returned to seriousness, resting his mouth on her shoulder in the embrace.

"I love you guys." He let out.

" _I love you too."_ The couple said back, in sync.


	6. Chapter 6

Hello! Sorry this took such a long time! I have been working so much recently. In fact, while I work, in order to keep calm and avoid having nervous breakdowns at work, i distract myself while cleaning and organizing by planning my chapters out, or at least getting a rough idea of them.

 _ **Warning, there are multiple character deaths in this chapter. Theres also plenty of cute Richonne.**_

If you'll please sit through the wildness of this chapter, i'll reward you with an entire one dedicated to Richonne and their children, no Jessie involved for the next chapter.

Also, your reviews continue to make me laugh. You're all so great.

* * *

Early morning sunlight filtered through the blinds and danced upon Michonne's skin as she lay on her side in front of a sleepy Rick. As she opened her eyes for the first time, she instinctively reached out to the man's face behind her and ran her fingers between the curls that overlapped his face. After just a few seconds, his hands met hers, intertwining their fingers together. She moaned softly. "You're up."

"I am." He replied, still groggy. He placed his chin between her neck and shoulder. "Quite a night we had."

She giggled shyly. "It was."

"We could recreate it." He suggested, gently pushing past her shoulder, moving her to her back.

"Oh yeah?" laughter in her tone as she spoke. He adjusted himself so he was leaning above her.

"Yeah." He smiled, Michonne slipping her fingers in his hair.

"We're supposed to meet Deanna in a half hour." He pouted his bottom lip, as he was now known to do by Michonne.

"Just a little bit?"

"Maybe…. If you weren't known to get carried away."

"Are you complaining?" This inspired a laugh to escape between Michonne's smiling lips.

"No, no I'm not. I just know if we start now, we're gonna be _late_." Her tone was full of love and hesitation, truly not wanting to turn down his offer.

"You're right." He sighed, and proceeded to roll off her, and onto his back.

"Wait…" she started. "No, no, no." she playfully begged. "Come back here, you." She took his arm and pulled him back over to her, a smile growing on his face.

"Hm?"

"Maybe just a little."

"Yeah?" He questioned, seeking confirmation.

"Yeah." She nodded, captured in his gaze. They smiled to each other for a moment, before he began placing kisses to her smooth skin.

She was cold to the touch, but not for much longer.

* * *

"You're _late_." Deanna spat, seated in her office, where she had been waiting for the couple for an hour and a half.

"Sorry." Michonne apologized, stepping in just behind Rick.

"Take a seat. I don't have much time before I promised to meet Reg for lunch."

"Like she said, we're sorry. Something came up."

"Something more important?" Deanna interrogated.

"Equally." Michonne's eyes narrowed, as they took a seat.

"What's this about? You seemed pretty urgent in setting this up."

Michonne didn't want to waste any time sugar-coating it, so she cut to the chase straight away. "We think Pete Anderson is abusive."

"Okay." Deanna responded calmly.

"Okay?" the man before her questioned.

"You don't seem very _shocked_." She was beginning to get upset already.

"Let us know if the situation gets worse." The mayor suggested professionally, trying to wrap things up already.

"We aren't just going to let it get to that point." The female constable snapped, her patience wearing very thin, now.

"We need to stop this in its tracks." Added Rick.

"Stay in your place. I'll handle it as needed."

"Why are you brushing this off?" She stood up in a fit. "A woman and probably her children are being _beaten_. Why are you letting this go?"

Deanna sighed. "Pete is a surgeon. He's our only fully trained medical professional."

"So?"

"So if something happens- you'll need him to save your life. Or your family's lives."

Michonne looked down at Rick, and they shared a glance before turning their heads back to Deanna.

"What about them then? We just gonna' keep lettin' them get hit?"

"Its an ugly situation, I know. But my responsibility is to keep my family safe. If Reg got hurt- Pete could save his life."

"But your job isn't just to protect them!" Michonne rejected.

Rick interrupted her, "When we got here, you told us we need to look out for your people too, not just ours. If we're 'gonna do that, you're 'gonna have to do the same."

"My hands are tied. There's nothing I can do. There's nothing _you_ can do."

" _Bullshit_." Michonne mumbled.

"What do you expect me to do? What could you do?" She asked rhetorically.

"We kill him." He said low, but confidently.

"Kill him? That's not how things work around here-"

"That's how it works. In this world, you don't get to throw someone in jail. Its kill or-"

"I'm sure you know about the late 'welcome' party we're holding for your group tonight. I want you to go. I want you all to go. Make friends, mingle, flirt, whatever. Its time you start learning how things work around here. See the friendships, the _families_. Learn the dynamics before you go and start trying to cut them apart."

Michonne stood in front of her mirror, pinning fake pearls through the holes in her ears that were close to being healed entirely. It all felt so weird to her. Before- dressing up, wearing makeup, putting in earing and matching heals would have seemed so normal. She did this sort of thing all the time. But now…it all seemed so pointless.

Her dress was one that was leant to her by Maggie, who had been given an assortment of dresses for this sort of thing from one of the Alexandrian ladies. The dress sat just between her thighs and her knees. It was gray with green and orange detailing, and her sleeves went just past the elbow. It seemed expensive.

"You like it?" Maggie asked, her smile apparent through her cute accent.

"I do. Its just…"

"I know. I know." She stood up from the bed and walked over to Michonne, putting her hands on her shoulders. " _This is home now_ …and if this how they do it here…it could be worse." She offered a comforting smile to Michonne, and she returned the favor. "Now, let me do your makeup."

She nodded and mouthed an 'Okay'.

* * *

Just as Maggie was finishing up Michone's makeup, Rick stepped into the room, a blue button up dress shirt, and black slacks hugging his body. He watched the scene unfold, standing at the doorway.

"And you're done!" Maggie exclaimed, admiring her own work. "You look _beautiful_."

"She does." He said, a grin stretched across his face.

They turned to look at him, and shock spread as their eyes and mouths widened.

"You shaved!" Maggie let out, excitedly.

"I did…" he responded. Michonne just stared at him with a smile, not moving or speaking. "What?"

"I just- I've never seen your face like that." She studied his almost naked chin and jaw. She had liked his facial hair, but this was just a whole different form of handsome that she had yet to experience, until now. He began to walk toward her, love in his eyes, but she brought him back to reality by nodding to the other woman in the room, who he had already forgotten was there.

He brought his eyes to her, and she could feel the awkward tension in the air. "Its fine. I'll go." She smiled sweetly at the two. "I know how it is…besides, I gotta help Beth get ready anyhow. _Who knows_ what she's gonna put on without me?"

"Thank you Maggie, really." Michonne smiled, and let her exit the room. The man before her finally erased the distance between them, immediately sweeping her into his arms for a kiss. Her petite-in-comparison hands held his freshly shaven face. It was a deep, passionate embrace that they let linger for several moments. When he finally accepted a release to the kiss, he smiled at her lovingly.

"What was that for?" a shy laugh escaping her.

"I've never seen _you_ like _this_." He was so caught up in her in that moment. Her smile revealed her teeth, and caught his attention even more. She loved how easy it was for him to just melt over her.

"Well if these people throw a party every time they've got a problem- you might wanna get used to it."

"I can do that." He let out a silent chuckle, before returning his lips to hers.

"We should get going." She whispered after parting the kiss.

"Yeah…" He said, but didn't take his eyes from her lips. This inspired a flattered laugh from Michonne.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah…"

* * *

Immediately as they stepped outside, Michonne felt regret for wearing something that revealed so much skin, as the cold air hit her legs. "This dress was a mistake." She shivered.

Rick, who couldn't get enough of it, rejected that. "Not at _all_. We'll be warmer when we get there."

"Okay." Michonne nodded. The atmosphere around them was very blue, matching the temperature. It was dim and mostly colorless, but strangely comforting.

As they arrived at the Anderson home, Rick turned to his lady on the porch. "You ready?"

"I _am_."

"Me too."

"I know." They exchanged a smile, and opened up the door. Inside was a completely different world. Everything was warm, summer and fall colors. Orange and yellow walls, roaring flames dancing in the fireplace, laughter, drinks, children playing. Michonne's eyes narrowed. All of their friends were already there, and they seemed to be enjoying themselves. As soon as the two took a step into the room, all eyes turned to them. They weren't overdressed- as the entire town dressed up for the occasion, but no one had ever seen them so cleaned up before.

No one there had ever seen Michonne's legs before. They had seen their shape under her tight pants, but seeing them so exposed, along with the rest of her look, had them staring, looking her up and down. She tensed up, immediately anxious with the looks. Rick slowly moved his fingers down to a scar on her legs, making sure no one noticed. It was a gunshot wound from just before they met. He was worried she'd feel insecure about it, so he rubbed it with his finger in a clockwise motion as they entered. Her mind _had_ been on the scar- but his action brought her comfort.

As they entered, many eyes lingered on her. She did her best to ignore them, as they made their way to Glenn, Maggie, Abraham, and Rosita.

"Look at you two!" Rosita gushed looking at the freshly cleaned up couple. "So cute." She played. When their eyes moved to Maggie- they realized her mouth was open in a surprised smile.

"You will not _believe_ what Carl said to me, today." The brunette blurted out excitedly.

"What?" Rick quickly questioned, scared the boy offended her somehow.

"He asked me If I'd seen his _mom and dad_." A smile immediately spread across Michonne's face. Maggie let out a squeal. _"Awh! Michonne!"_ She wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug, that Michonne returned. The other three smiled at the embrace.

They continued having a casual conversation amongst themselves, ignoring most of the Alexandrians all together, and slowly glasses of champagne made their way into the chatting group of four, along with a few of their friends who eventually moved their way into the conversations. Michonne excused herself to go to the bathroom at one point, and went to go find it.

She went down a hallway, and opened up the first door she saw. Opening it, she didn't see a bathroom. Instead, it was a little boy's room. Filled with toy cars and stuffed dinosaurs trapped inside four blue and red walls. She smiled, her mind immediately going to Andre. She thought about how much he would have liked it there in Alexandria- getting his own room, his own life- a full family of people who he would have loved and would have loved him back. Trying her best not to let tears escape her watery eyes, she turned around, her heart stopping at the realization that someone had been right behind her the whole time. She immediately jumped back, seeing Pete's tall figure before her.

" _Hey there-_ Did I scare you?"

"I was just looking for the bathroom."

"Ain't gonna find it in Sam's room."

"Right…" They stood in silence for a moment, neither knowing when to speak next, or what to say.

"I just wanted to tell you- You look pretty damn cute in that dress…." His breath reeking of alcohol.

"You couldn't have told me that around everyone else? Or waited till I turned around, instead of creeping up behind me?"

He took another step closer to her.

"Just wanted to see it all up close, I guess." She tried to step past him, but he moved, blocking her way.

"You get _real_ nice when you girl up."

"I'm always girl'd up. A dress and heels doesn't-"

"And you _always look nice_. But like this," he reached for her chin, but she jerked her head away. "You're damn near irresistible."

"Mr. Anderson." Her tone cold and harsh.

"C'mon, baby-"

"Mr. Anderson!" She snapped, harsher this time.

"I said come on!" He took one of her wrists in his fists, forcefully. At this, she wasted no time in swinging her other arm, placing a hard punch to his face. He let go of her, and fell back slightly. He headed toward her again, but she used her left leg to firmly kick him in the stomach, knocking the wind right out of him.

As he got the hang of himself- he felt a blow to his head- which took a second to hurt. Rick had taken a swing at the back of his head, and before he knew it, he pushed the drunken man up against a wall, turned him around, and threw punches after punches.

"Rick. Give it up." Michonne pleaded. Rick looked toward her, giving Pete the opportunity to take Rick by his collar, and push him against the paralleling wall. He wrapped his hand around Rick's throat, choking him hard, using the other arm to bring punches to his face. This immediately sent Michonne into a rage. She ran the few feet separating her from them, and used one hand to punch the man, and the opposite arm to try to push him down in the action. He was still standing, but before he could react- she placed a blow to his chest, sending him down hard.

"What the _hell_ -" was all he could let out, before they all realized everyone had been at the end of the hall- watching the scene take place. Michonnes eyes wandered on their expressions. The Alexandrians looked mortified, while some of their group looked scared, others content- and then she turned to look at Rick. It felt like an hour, but it was really only seconds, as she examined his slip lip, and beaten face. Her heart was pounding as she realized the amount of pain he had to be enduring right now.

"D-Deanna! These people…They're crazy…Fuc-."

"That's enough, Pete." Jessie inturrupted, heading over to kneeling down and help him.

"Kick them out- all of them…Now…" He pleaded, as Deana just looked over the scene, trying to determine what to do. She wasn't heartless. She knew he deserved every blow to his face- but she wasn't sure she could trust them anymore. They ignored her orders, and that could be unforgivable. Michonne ignored the scenes, trying to tend to Rick.

"No- wait…Jessie said, realizing Rick would likely be removed from the town soon. "He-he was just trying to help…"

Pete didn't hesitate to slap her in the face, forgetting, or perhaps not caring, that everyone was around. "They go, now."

"Hey!" Carol yelled, pushing through the crowd. "You do _not_ touch her!"

"Try and stop me, stupid b-."

"ENOUGH." Deanna screamed, taking Jessie's hand, and pulling her from the situation. "That's enough."

"You're taking their side? What the hell- They're dangerous."

Jessie, who had no had enough, interrupted him. "No, Pete. No. You're dangerous. You need to go. You. Not them." She felt a push past her, as her youngest son, Sam, stepped in between her and her husband. He had a gun in his tiny hands, awkwardly pointed at his father. Carol swallowed hard, knowing it was thanks to him he had possession of the weapon.

"Leave mom alone!" He yelled, trying to protect him.

"Leave her alone? Leave him alone!" Yelled Ron, the other Anderson boy, from the crowd. "He's just defending himself! That asshole has been trying to get with mom for weeks now! He was protecting her. That asshole was trying to have sex with her!"

"Protecting?" Deanna interrupted. "I tried. It was stupid but I tried, very hard, to let this slide. But you've hurt more than you've helped."

"Are you kidding me? Its these people, these-"

"You leave now."

"I'll kill you."

"No sir you will not." Butted in Rej- Deanna's husband. "If I had known about all of this before- that you would touch your wife like that…You would have been gone long ago."

"You're taking me away from my wife! My kids!"

"You don't deserve them." Deanna spat.

Rage filled Pete's body. He wanted to kill them all right now- and began fantasizing about doing so.

Michonne felt the situation getting worse, so she began to Urge Rick away, not wanting to get him involved, he was already beaten up and in enough trouble. She helped balance him on his feet by wrapping one of her arms behind his back, and one of his behind hers, as they headed toward to crowd of people.

"Fine…I'll go." The still partially drunken, angry man finally let in. Deanna gave him a stiff nod, and opened her mouth to speak. "But if I'm losing my family, you're losing yours." He cut her off before she things were about to go bad, everything became a blur for everyone. Before they could comprehend what he was doing, he had already done it. In a swift motion, he lunged toward Rej, and slit his throat with the knife he had intended to kill Rick with.

Screams and immediate cries were all that could be here. Deanna's eyes were wide open, and yet tears were expelling from them nonstop.

"Rick. Kill him." With no hesitation, Rick drew his gun, and the job was done. Gasps were let out from a few faces in the crowd, but then it went silent.

"Dad!" Carl said, pushing through the people who separated him and his father. Ricks eyes went from his son to the sight he was trying to warn him from- Ron pointing a gun directly at him.

"You ruined my family." He said, the gun shaking in his hand. Sam lay on the ground, terrified. Ron had pushed him and taken his gun while everyone was distracted with his father's death. Michonne's eyes shot open. She knew had to do something, or she'd lose Rick. She slowly backed away behind the crowd of weeping, terrified people. As soon as she was out of the boy's sight, she ran to the kitchen as fast as she could.

"Ron…baby…put the gun down. You don't have to do this…." Jessie pleaded, trying to calm her son down.

"Are you kidding me? He just killed dad! He's gone! And its all his fault!"

"Ssshh…no baby...It's okay…" she was crying her eyes out, but doing her best to smile for him. "We aren't ruined. We're still here…"

"Dad isn't! Because he's dead!"

As she tried to convince him to stop, Michonne made her way back through the crowd, now armed, and was taking the only path she knew would work. She was crawling through the ground on her hands and knees. Sam spotted her about to pass by his oblivious brother. As she made eye contact with the child, she placed her index finger over her lips, suggesting he stays quiet. His eyes widened, and tears started to form. He was about to break down, and there was nothing she could do about it.

Carol spotted the interaction, and understood immediately. "Sam, honey! Come over here, okay. Its safer…" She said, trying to buy Michonne time. Once the woman was behind Ron, she stood up immediately, not wasting even a second.

"Night, asshole." Just as he began putting pressure to the trigger, the blade of a kitchen knife exited through his chest. A bullet shot from his gun, as his fingers tightened in shock.

Jessie screamed as she watched his body collapse as the knife was yanked out. Michonne breathed heavy behind him, but felt no regret. He tried to hurt her family, so she did what she had to do.

The blonde, in a shrieking fit, ran toward Michonne, with the intention of hurting her.

"Enough!" Deanna shouted, sick of the violence. "No more fighting!" As she spoke, she got more and more choked up. "I have just witnessed the death of my husband, our only doctor, and a child… Let it be enough!" By the time she finished, she was bawling her eyes out.

"Everyone's okay…No one got hit?" Rick questioned, looking to the people. Everyone looked around and appeared to be okay. "Good, Now…"

"…Dad?" All eyes turned to Carl. He lifted his head up to reveal his right eye had been shot out, blood streaming down his face.

"Carl… _Carl_!" he ran toward the boy, lifting him in his arms and rushing him to the kitchen table, blood spilling and pooling in the yellow house.


	7. Chapter 7

(AN: Hey guys! I'm sorry it's been so long. After my previous updates, I was consistently getting harassed with people putting me down, calling me out for minor inaccuracies in the story. I'd just like to remind you all that this is called fanfiction for a reason. While I try to stay true to the overall universe, not everything will match up to the story. And that's okay.)

* * *

Three months later.

Michonne made her way down the staircase, dressed in only a robe, with a towel around her head. She was greeted by her son, seated at the kitchen table, eating dry cereal out of a bowl. He smiled at her brightly, allowing her to ruffle his hair as she approached "Hey handsome."

"Hi mom." Carl chuckled, still chewing his food. She tapped him on the top of his head.

"Hey. Close your mouth while you eat. C'mon." She nudged him, and headed toward the cabinets. With a smirk, he considered rolling his eyes, but decided against it. He'd rather try his luck with a field of walkers than get caught sassing his mother. "What are you doing up so early?"

"I thought I'd take care of Judith when she wakes up, so you and Dad wouldn't have to. Where is Dad, anyway?"

"He'll be down soon." She replied, leaning her hip on the side of the counter, slightly tossing an apple between her two hands. "Just got out of the shower." She took a bite of the fruit, punctuating her sentence with a loud crunch.

"Didn't…. Didn't you just get out of the shower?" Michonne raised an eyebrow at the boy, unsure on whether to come up with an excuse, or be blunt with him. "Oh-oh gross! Never mind, never mind. Gross." He shot his head away, and continued mumbling to himself.

"Have you changed your bandages since yesterday?" changing the subject, narrowing her eyes on his cotton-pad eyepatch once he turned back to look at her.

"Not yet." He grumbled. Before his mother could respond, they heard footsteps coming down the stairs. Following them, came a not-entirely dry Rick Grimes, holding his daughter in one arm. He was still adjusting a dark purple v-neck shirt to his body with one hand, as he made his way into the kitchen.

"Mornin' Corl." He greeted, "Change your bandages yet?"

"Not yet." Michonne and Carl replied in unison. Rick couldn't help but smile in response. He approached his girlfriend by the counter, and planted a brief kiss to her lips. Following its conclusion, she handed him her apple, which he didn't hesitate to take a large bite of.

"Grosssss!" the boy yelped at the display of affection his parents shared.

"Its gross when we do it, but it's alright when you and Eni-?"

"Mooom!"

"What's that about?" Rick questioned, inspiring a wink from Michonne in Carl's direction, and a blush on the boy's face in response. Before anyone could respond, there was a knock at the door.

"I got it." The teenager responded. Assuming it would be Enid, he rushed toward the entrance of their home.

"His manners are improving." Rick quietly spoke to his girlfriend. "Thanks to you."

"Or he just wants to see his _girlfriend_."

"Well that makes two of us." He said, nibbling the apple.

"Stop." She nudged him, but couldn't resist another kiss, pulling him closer than he was before.

Meanwhile, Carl answered the door. To his surprise, it was not Enid. Instead, a pale, but blushy, Jessie Anderson. They had not seen her in months, not since the night he lost his eye, and she lost a child, and her husband. No one in Alexandria had seen much of her since that night, in fact.

"What are you doing here?" He asked with a straight face, only his eyes narrowing slightly

"Hi Carl!" She said with a smile.

' _Is she serious right now?'_ Carl wondered.

"Is your dad home?"

"No. You- you should go."

"Carl, who is it, baby?" he heard his mother call from the other room.

"You should go." the boy repeated, now whispering.

"Carl…I...I'm sorry.." she replied, too stubborn to walk away.

"Carl?" His mother questioned again. Before Carl could get another word out, his parents cautiously entered the room, both armed with weapons they had kept in the kitchen, hidden. A pistol on Rick, and a black-handled dagger on Michonne. Judith was sat in a high-chair in the kitchen, away from whatever they thought they were about to walk into, assuming the worst based on the silence coming from their son.

"Rick!" the blonde sighed with relief, her eyes making her way to the man. He rolled his eyes in response, lowering his weapon. Michonne kept hers up.

Michonne's eyes stayed on the unwanted guest, her teeth gritted as the woman pushed past her son, entering their home.

"Look, Rick. I'm so, so sorry. This whole thing- it was all my fault…" She approached him quickly, opening her arms, expecting to embrace him. She was cut off by Michonne placing herself in front of the woman.

"Don't."

"I just wanted to-"

"This is our home. Ours. You're gonna walk yourself out of there, and it can be right now, or it can be with a few broken bones. Your pick." Michonne had had enough.

Her eyes filled up with tears. "R-Rick…can we please just...I miss you…"

"Out. Now." Rick's muscles tensed, and his fist clenched.

Without another word she left the home, tears beginning to fall down her face. Once she made it past their porch, and the door was shut behind her, she paused. She looked around at the families and couples walking the streets on Alexandria that morning. She turned her head back to the house. She felt she then knew what she had to do. She whipped the tears from her face, and headed to the armory.

Meanwhile, the Grimes were still on shock she had dared to visit their home. Michonne crossed her arms, her jaw was tight.

"She barged into our home. Again." She spat. "She can't do that. We can't _let her_ do that."

"'Chonne, I'll put a stop to it." Her boyfriend assured.

"How?"

"I will. I promise." She wasn't sure, but she decided to believe him for now. Carl pecked her on the cheek, and left to go visit with Enid for the day. She put on a smile for him, and let him exit.

* * *

Nighttime

Michonne was stripped down to her typical pajamas, small comfy shorts and a tank top, as she fluffed the pillows to their bed. Rick watched from the doorway. They had not talked much that day, both cooling off from the morning. Michonne was ready to get into bed, when she was interrupted by Rick's words.

"Michonne." She turned around.

"Hm?"

"Look, I…I'm sorry."

"What for?" Her voice cracked, but her tone was strong.

"I haven't been protectin' you and Corl the way I should be." He paused, now staring to the ground. "I let Jessie storm into our house. I let Carl lose his-"

"Rick." She stopped him. "Come here." She waved him over, and he complied. Once he was close enough, she sat on the edge of the bed, and patted it, encouraging him to do the same. Her soft hand met his rough face. "Stop blaming yourself." Her eyes were intense. They looked golden up close. He could get lost in them, but instead let his eyes drop back to the floor. "We're lucky." she started, "We have Carl. We have Judith. We have each other. What happened, happened. But we're still here. I'm still here." The thumb on her free hand stroked his in a circular motion.

He couldn't fight the urge to kiss her any longer. It was killing him. He slipped his tongue into her mouth, and brought both his hands to her waist, pulling her to him. It was a long moment, that felt to pass with a blink of an eye. They separated, and he leaned over the bed, to pull something from his bedside drawer. Shutting it, he turned to her, the object hidden in his closed hand.

He never had been a man of many words, and struggled to find the right ones in this moment. He was actually getting a bit chocked up, without even speaking. Instead, he decided to simply open his hand, revealing a thin, silver engagement ring with a small stone. Michonne's head shot away, trying to hide a single tear that had fallen from her face.

"I- I don't know if you-," he started, "I just thought-," She turned back to him. Looking down at his hand, tears streamed down her face. She frantically wiped the tears away, and simply nodded several times. Rick slipped the wring on her finger, holding it in his other hand. He moved his right hand to the back of her head, her dreads separating his fingers, gliding between them softly. They pulled each other into a slow, strong kiss. He led her to her back, and began placing kisses down her body.

"Rick." She whispered, _"Shut the door."_


End file.
